The provocation this time was the fact that I pointed out Keith Olbermann’s fingerbang salute to Carrie Prejean. I actually took it pretty easy on KO, of whom I am a big fan. Unfortunately, some liberals require blind idolatry, even when it runs counter to actual liberalism.

I went on to critique the left’s treatment of Prejean, another big no-no in TBogg-land.

When we last saw Conservative Pet Liberal Tommy Christopher he was getting blog-killed by Big Bunny because he had the blogdacity* to go “shame shame” over Guy Cimbalo’s hatefuck article/post thingy. As it turned out, pretty much anyone who was familiar with Cimbalao’s article shared Tommy’s opinion, but the timing of AOL’s de-Tommyfying was enough to throw the wingnuts into a frenzy.

Well, they’re always in a frenzy, but it was kismet that day because the Mexicans, Muslims, and Negroes were behaving themselves. At least for for a few hours.

Now we see that Tommy has washed up on the shores of the Mediaite (I don’t know how to pronounce it either) blog which is kinda of like the crackbaby lovechild of Politico and Tiger Beat (”Who’s Hot Who’s Not!” “Win a Dream Date with Dreamylicious Jake Tapper!” etc.).

The “wingnuts” in a frenzy? Right, like The Huffington Post, or Howard Kurtz? He also displays the same class that led him to make fun of special needs children last time, tossing his barbs at crack babies here. Real nice.

He also posits that I only defend young, hot, conservative women. You know, like Kevin Jennings or Van Jones. Boing!

True, I was also fortunate enough to land a great gig with Mediaite that permits me to get out of my jammies and into the real world once in a while.

Factual lapses aside, he also goes on to miss the entire point of my post. By attacking Prejean’s tits and masturbatory habits, the left has amplified her importance well beyond what it should be, and made themselves look ugly in the process. Keith Olbermann’s (thankfully non-glistening) fingers may be worth a chuckle to some, but at what price? What average American is going to watch that and say “My, that Keith Olbermann is a clever fellow. Let me probe his views on marriage?”

TBogg says “As to his point that she has been amplified, her book sales (#846) at Amazon tell another story.” I say the problem was never that she was selling books.

Finally, before TBogg tries to accuse someone of being a “Conservative pet liberal,” maybe he should think about elevating his own editorial standards to at least equal Hannity’s. At least he admits he’s “mistaken” when somebody busts him.

There’s a paragraph quote that has been eating at me, and it really is one of the worst ways to insult a woman … by beginning with a compliment.

Here is the offending bit – of an otherwise interesting article about a work environment, like any other, that has a boss, like any other, who happens to be a little bit domineering, like any other:

“Lasko, like Markoe before her, had a great mind. Dave, it seemed, had a type: women who impressed him intellectually, who somehow had his number. They were not necessarily the obvious choices. “You can look at these women and see how they look,” says one former staffer. “You see he’s going for personality as well, but I think he’s also going for easy targets. He’s not setting himself up for rejection. He’s not going to ask the head of the cheerleading team to prom. He’s going to ask the head of the band or something.”

Essentially, what “former staffer” says is that David Letterman prefers the company of intelligent women, perhaps those women who didn’t let him get away with what may be typical Letterman crap. Mmmmkay … well … that’s refreshing, right? But then “former staffer” decided to continue talking and actually reveal what sort of person he or she is rather than the sort of person David Letterman is … said staffer recalls how these women weren’t the obvious sort that ANYONE would choose, much less David Letterman.

But, “former staffer” doesn’t stop there … oh no … this person goes on to say that while Letterman is attracted to intellect and personality he only is attracted to them because, due to their vivacious personality and superior intellect, they are … wait for it ——-AN EASY TARGET. WTF?! Since when in the world does being an intelligent woman (who isn’t a ‘supermodel’) make one an ‘easy target?’

Oh, and there’s more…that somehow there’s no way a “cheerleader” type could POSSIBLY be attracted to Letterman or seduced by Letterman, which again is insulting – both to the “intellectual” women and the “cheerleader” women.

Face it, David Letterman is a smart, funny, successful man who MANY women would find attractive – young and old, intellectual and shallow … get over it! Alternatively, there are PLENTY of women who find Letterman repulsive, rude, and unfunny….get over that, too!

Well, whomever “former staffer” is the WORST sort of sexist (whether “former staffer” be male or female). This is right out of a chauvinist playbook of assuming all feminists don’t shave their legs and hate men, and just as bad as assuming that all lesbians are butch and all cheerleaders are stupid and shallow … what the hell decade are we living in again?

Really, if “former staffer’s” notion of what women are supposed to be and what men are supposed to be attracted to was around while I was working for the Late Show … well, it isn’t David Letterman who I would feel uncomfortable around.

On that note – I really really really don’t care about David Letterman’s – or his staff’s – sex lives. However, the blackmail attempt, and subsequent storm … FASCINATING.

The President is headed to a New Hampshire town hall today, which could be contentious. I really hope that some measure of respect will be shown to President Obama, but I’m really excited to see what he will have to say at the event…and who exactly will attend.

I was informed yesterday by the (Politics Daily) Hot Seat editor that our relationship was being terminated. Zero notice. No reason given. Nada. Gee, do ya think it could be because of the Playboy controversy – and publicly outing Melinda Henneberger for lying about her relationship to the firing of Tommy Christopher?

As of this writing, Politics Daily hasn’t explained the dismissal. I checked with other Hot Seat contributors, and none of them have been let go, although that may change if Melinda wants to cover her tracks again.

There are multiple ironies here, but chief among them is that this is an achievement of the Playboy article’s mission, to harm and marginalize conservative women. In this case, it has managed to do so to a wonderful woman who was spared inclusion on the original list.

Along with the injustice, I object to the cowardly manner in which this was done, quietly, a month after the fact.

I take comfort in knowing that, although the intent here was not benevolent, my friend Lizzy will feel less harm from this than Politics Daily will. Disagree with her as I might, it won’t be a tango without her.

I’ve been struggling all day to write this post, but I haven’t been able to find the proper words. I just don’t understand people and their fear of the Other, which, as a wise Muppet once noted, leads to anger, leads to hate, leads to suffering.

Anthropologically, it makes sense. We fear the Other because it is not like us – we recoil from things that are different. Doubtless it saved our collective human skins when we were growing our brains in the wilderness. “That thing doesn’t look like us, and it just ate Jack. Okay, everyone: Avoid that furry thing with the big teeth.” But not in today’s society. We’re supposed to be evolved, more sentient, ‘higher’ beings, and thus be able to ignore our crocodile brains, the ones that tell us, “Danger! Danger! This person is different – this person is enemy! Crush! Kill! Destroy!”

Apparently not. The fear and vitriolic hatred of the Other is alive and well in human society, and it’s even taken on new and exciting forms. Continue reading →

Although PoliticsDaily.com, one of AOL’s daily political news suppliers, aims to offer “smart pieces from across the ideological spectrum,” it may be pandering, intentionally or not, to AOL’s increasingly conservative audience.

(To prevent confusion later in this article, for anyone new to this blog, I am a liberal, as liberal as the day is long. I’m so liberal, I made my kids form a labor union before assigning them chores.)